


Red

by TeganLynn (Adelia_Snow)



Category: Glee, The Flash (TV 2014)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27509926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adelia_Snow/pseuds/TeganLynn
Summary: Cayden Hudson's life had been relatively normal up until the point where his best friend lost his parents, one dead and the other convicted for murder. Just when things began to settle down, his own parents were killed in a car accident. His aunt takes him in, but this causes him to have to move to a whole other time zone, and Cayden makes the hard decision to cut all contact with his friends, hoping it would be less painful.Barry Allen hasn't been the same since a man capable of the impossible killed his mother. The worst part is that the bullying became much worse after the incident because everyone else believed his father was a murderer. Only two people are really there for him, his two best friends, Iris West and Cayden Hudson. When the bullying became too bad, his foster father Joe sends him to live with his uncle in Paris instead, even going as far to get the teen a name change so he could finish high school in peace.A year later, the two's worlds collide together again when they happen to end up only and hour apart from each other and having mutual acquaintances and friends. Things start out smoothly, but nothing can ever be that easy, can it?
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work is my child, and my pride and joy. I've been kind of expanding into new territories with this work, and I'm so excited for it. I hope you love it as much as I do :)

"Bye, Cayden." Iris said to one of her best friends, pulling him into a death grip of a hug. Cayden was leaving to lve with his aunt in Ohio, his only family after his parents were killed in an accident a few weeks back.

"Bye, Iris." Cayden said.

"I'm going to miss you." she said as she pulled back from the hug. The dark skinned girl gave him a smile, before she disappeared into her house, leaving the two to themselves. Cayden's attention turned to the other boy, who could barely look at him.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Cayden asked softly. Barry bit his bottom lip, and then spoke.

"Yeah." he lied, knowing both of them knew that he was. "But I should be asking you that."

Cayden shook his head, and said, "I don't know." There were so many words he wanted to say, but he couldn't. It would only make this harder. His gaze caught his aunt's car parked in the street and Cayden sighed. "I've got to go. Goodbye, Barry."

Barry stepped forward, wrapping his arms around his lifetime best friend. "Bye, Cayden." he whispered, afraid to speak louder. He was afraid his voice would betray him. He was afraid he'd say the wrong thing and make things worse.

As Cayden hugged his best friend, he could only wish this was a normal goodbye, one where they knew they'd see each other the next day. But it wasn't, it was very possible they would never see each other again, even if neither wanted that to be the case. Barry hugged Cayden tighter for a second before he released the other teen. He rubbed one of his eyes, and then before he tried to begged Cayden to stay, he turned and opened the door to the house, only sparing Cayden one more glance before shutting his door.

A sigh escaped Cayden's lips as he turned and walked down the sidewalk towards the road.

He had decided that he would be cutting off all of his ties to Central City. It'd make it easier on himself, and Barry and Iris, he hoped. It'd hurt, but he felt he needed to just rip off the bandaid and get it over with, instead of hurting later when they inevitably grew apart.

"Are you all set?" his aunt Carole asked as Cayden climbed into the front seat of the car.

"Yeah, I guess." Cayden answered. The true answer was no, but he wasn't going to disrupt Carole's life more by staying longer.

The car started, and they got started on the road to Ohio.

"Finn's excited for you to get there." Carole said. Cayden smiled a little.

"Yeah. We were pretty young last time we saw each other." he said.

"He won't stop telling Burt and Kurt about you."

"Who're they?" Cayden asked, frowning.

"My boyfriend and his son." Carole answered. Cayden's jaw dropped.

"What? When did you start dating?"

"Oh, a few months ago. It's no big deal."

"Yeah, it is. Carole!" Cayden exclaimed, lightly punching Carole's arm.

"Cayden!" Carole said. "I'm trying to drive."

"Sorry." Cayden said.

-_-_-

"Cayden! Hey, man!" Finn said as soon as Cayden came into the house with his bags. Cayden set them down when he saw his cousin.

"Finn!" Cayden said, waving at his cousin.

"Dude, it's been too long." Finn said as the two bro-hugged.

"Nothing stopped you from coming to visit me." Cayden said.

"School did." Finn said.

"Weekends exist. And summer." Cayden stated.

"Okay, fine." Finn said.

"How are things?" Cayden asked. "What you been up to?"

"I joined the glee club at my school." Finn said.

"You're kidding?" Cayden asked.

"No. It's great. I love it." Finn said. "You should join. We compete in two weeks, but we can get you caught up. Plus, we need more people."

Cayden could easily tell how excited about this Finn was, and didn't want to shoot him down, so he agreed. And that's how he ended up in front of the glee club, singing a Taylor Swift song. Back in Central City, Iris had liked to tease him about it, but she ended up singing along with him if he ever played the music.

Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street  
Faster than the wind, passionate as sin ending so suddenly  
Loving him is like trying to change your mind once you're already flying through the free fall  
Like the colors in autumn, so bright just before they lose it all

Losing him was blue like I'd never known  
Missing him was dark grey all alone  
Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met  
But loving him was red  
Loving him was red

Touching him was like realizing all you ever wanted was right there in front of you  
Memorizing him was as easy as knowing all the words to your old favorite song  
Fighting with him was like trying to solve a crossword and realizing there's no right answer  
Regretting him was like wishing you never found out that love could be that strong

Losing him was blue like I'd never known  
Missing him was dark gray all alone  
Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met  
But loving him was red  
Oh red  
Burning red

Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes  
Tell myself it's time now, gotta let go  
But moving on from him is impossible  
When I still see it all in my head  
Burning red  
Burning it was red

Oh losing him was blue like I'd never known  
Missing him was dark gray all alone  
Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met  
'Cause loving him was red  
Yeah, yeah red  
We're burning red

And that's why he's spinning 'round in my head  
Comes back to me, burning red  
Yeah, yeah  
His love was like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street

The Glee club applauded him, and Mr. Shue stood from his seat, and said "Well, I think I can say: Welcome to the New Directions, Cayden."

Cayden took the seat on the right side of Finn. The left side was occupied by a petite brunette girl. Finn held his hand out for a high five, which Cayden gladly gave, the adrenaline from performing holding him up on cloud 9.

"Now, let's start with this week's assignment." Mr. Shue said. "This week we will have our annual girls versus boys competition. Sectionals is in a few weeks, so get in your teams and start preparing your performances."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note~ This chapter takes place about a year and a quarter after the first one. So, the jump goes from early season 2 to mid season 3 of Glee, if that helps.

Cayden's alarm on his phone went off, playing Story of Us by Taylor Swift. He groaned before grabbing it and turning on his flashlight, unplugging the device before he rolled out of bed. He allowed the song to continue on its track as he crossed the room to flip on the light. He used his foot to lift a shirt from the floor and kicked it in the direction of the laundry basket.

He suppressed a yawn as he looked for a shirt to wear. He didn't have many options, so he settled on the Taylor shirt he typically tried to avoid wearing to school, but his other options were limited. He hadn't cleaned his room in a while, meaning he also hadn't done laundry in a while. He'd wore the shirt once within his first few days of going to McKinley, and it certainly didn't help the bullying that came with being in Glee club.

He covered the shirt with his sweatshirt, but he was sure it'd be removed at some point. He tended to get too hot at school or it would get soaked with a slushy, and he would be forced to remove it. Not that he cared what any of the jocks thought, they were all air-headed fools who couldn't appreciate decent music and took pride in picking on other kids. He hated bullies with a passion, images of his best friend being beaten made sure of that.

Once he put on a pair of jeans and ran fingers through his hair so it was sticking out less, he left his room and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

"Morning, Carole." Cayden said, reaching for a bagel.

"Morning, Cayden." Carole responded. Before the teen could ask for it, she held out to him the unopened jar of jam from the cupboard.

Cayden looked up, ready to ask for it, but paused when he saw the jar. He grabbed it, and said, "Thanks."

It had been just over a year since his parents died. In which time Carole and her boyfriend had gotten married, the Glee club had gone to- and lost- Nationals, and then split into two different groups when a few of the girls were unsatisfied with how much spotlight some got, while they were left to be background singers.

Cayden hadn't been particularly picky as he had only recently joined, but Mr. Shue was going to give him a lead part for Regionals- or at said he was. Cayden wasn't sure Mr. Shue would remember that, come time to get themselves together for the competition.

At first he'd been wary about joining the glee club, but he'd made friends with the group, and it was much better than how he would have the rest of high school- ignoring the others around him except for maybe Finn and Kurt, who he lived with anyway. It helped him grow more confident with himself because he was surrounded by people who had to be confident. They'd all once dressed in Lady Gaga style outfits when they had a Gaga week.

Cayden bit into his bagel and grabbed his backpack, quickly sifting through it to make sure he had everything. He quickly glanced at the clock, before zipping the bag up.

"I'm going to leave early." Cayden announced to Carole, swinging his backpack onto his shoulder.

"Are you sure?" Carole asked after checking the time herself.

"I feel like walking today." Cayden said.

"Alright, be careful." Carole said.

"I will." Cayden said as he headed for the door. "Bye!"

-_-_-

With almost an hour before school started, Cayden had taken the time to walk to the Lima Bean- the local coffee shop- to get his caffeine fix. He walked down the hallway with the warm cup in his hand, heading for his locker. In his pocket, his phone buzzed with a notification, so he reached into his pocket and pulled it out. Then out of nowhere, something (or someone) purposely slammed into Cayden's shoulder. The teen gasped as the scalding hot coffee in his hand splashed over him, most of it either hit his sweatshirt or the floor, but also hit and burned his hand. There went his caffeine and his sweatshirt.

He heard laughter as the teen that had slammed into him and his goonies walked away. Cayden used his other sleeve that was partially dry to dry it off quickly, but the damage had been done and his hand stung slightly. It wasn't a bad burn, but it noticeably hurt. He quickened his pace, making a beeline for his locker. Along the way he threw away his now empty cup. He opened his locker and took off the soaked sweatshirt, and tossed it unceremoniously into the bottom of his locker. He set his backpack on top of it and began to pull his books from the bag.

He grabbed his textbooks for his next two classes- science and Spanish. He hated science because he sucked at it. The only way he'd ever passed it was with the help of Barry, but now he was stuck, the material was about as clear as mud to him. Spanish he took because it was a required class even if he already knew the language. Mr. Shue was the Spanish teacher, and he was crap at it. But Cayden suffered through the class anyway.

He shut his locker and turned to walk towards his class. He heard a voice call out, "Nice shirt, fag," but he ignored it.

____

Cayden took his normal seat in glee club, dropping his backpack onto the floor under his chair. The others began to come in and take their seats, beginning to chat as they waited for Mr. Shue. Finn sat at the drums, and began to mess around, but stopped when Mr. Shue came in, until the teacher said, "Finn, give me a drum roll." While Finn began to hit the drums, Mr. Shue wrote Marry Me! on the board. "Yes, I am proposing to Ms. Pillsbury."

The room burst out in cheers, and Cayden just grinned. The couple had been together for a while and it was about time for them to get engaged.

"I know, I know." Mr. Shue said over the students while Finn took the seat next to Cayden. "This is the kind of news that you share with your family, and you guys are my family."

"Mr. Shue, we are so happy for you." Finn said.

"We totally don't think you'll screw it up this time." Quinn said.

"Here's the thing, it has to be perfect." Mr. Shue said. "I'm sitting down with Emma's parents to ask for permission, and then this proposal needs to knock her well washed socks off. And that's where you guys come in, okay? So the assignment for this week is to come up with a proposal number. And you know Ms. Pillsbury, it's got to be perfect. "

"Well, you can count on us, Mr. Shue." Artie said. The bell rang, and everybody stood up, grabbing their bags.

"Already got your song picked out?" Finn questioned Cayden as they walked out.

"Yeah." Cayden answered, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "It's, uh, Love Story by-"

"Let me guess." Finn cut off his cousin. "Taylor Swift?"

Cayden grinned and said, "You know me too well, man."

"I mean, you are wearing her on your t-shirt."

Cayden glanced down at his shirt. "Oh, right. I forgot about that."


	3. Chapter 3

Cayden sat in his room, practicing his song for the assignment. He looked up as he heard a knock on his door frame to see his cousin in the doorway.

"Hey, uh, can I talk to you about something?" Finn asked.

"Yeah." Cayden said with a nod, folding his legs so his cousin had room to sit on the bed. Finn shut the door behind him as he entered the room.

"Okay, can you promise not to tell anybody what I'm about to tell you?" Finn asked.

"Uh, sure." Cayden said uncertainly, watching Finn sit down on the edge of his bed. "What's up?"

"I want to propose to Rachel." Finn said.

"What?" Cayden said somewhat loudly.

"Keep it down." Finn said. "I don't want to tell my mom yet."

"Finn, you're still in high school." Cayden said.

"I know." Finn said. "Just, hear me out, okay? Right now, Rachel is the only thing I'm sure about in my life, and I kinda want to keep it that way. Besides, the worst she can say is no, right?"

"I guess so." Cayden replied.

"Look, man, I really want your support on this." Finn said. Cayden sighed.

"Okay." he said. "But she's not pregnant, right?"

"No!" Finn said. "At least, I don't think so."

"You don't think so?" Cayden asked, grimacing slightly. "Okay, that's TMI, Finn."

"I mean, I would think she would have told me if she- do you think you could help me pick out a ring?" Finn asked.

"I- sure." Cayden answered.

"And, uh, I want you to be my best man." Finn said.

"Are you serious?" Cayden asked. "Yeah, of course."

"When are you performing that?" Finn asked.

"Huh?"

"The song, it sounded good." Finn clarified.

"Oh, uh, I was thinking tomorrow." Cayden responded.

____

We were both young when I first saw you  
I close my eyes and the flashback starts  
I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air

See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns  
See you make your way through the crowd  
And say hello

Little did I know  
That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles  
And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"  
And I was crying on the staircase  
Begging you, please, don't go

And I said,  
"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone  
I'll be waiting, all that's left to do is run  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
It's a love story, baby just say yes

So I sneak out to the garden to see you  
We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew  
So close your eyes, escape this town for a little while  
'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter  
And my daddy said "Stay away from Juliet"  
But you were everything to me, I was begging you, please, don't go

And I said Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone  
I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
It's a love story baby just say yes

Romeo save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel  
This love is difficult, but it's real  
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess  
It's a love story, baby just say "Yes"

Oh, oh

I got tired of waiting  
Wondering if you were ever coming around  
My faith in you was fading  
When I met you on the outskirts of town

And I said  
"Romeo save me, I've been feeling so alone  
I keep waiting for you but you never come  
Is this in my head? I don't know what to think"

He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said  
"Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone  
I love you and that's all I really know  
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress  
It's a love story, baby just say yes"

The last notes of the song were covered by the polite applause coming from the rest of the glee club. Cayden smiled a little and the bell rang.

"Hey, that was great." Finn said as Cayden grabbed his books from the floor.

"Thanks." Cayden said.

"Are you doing anything now?" Finn asked.

"No." Cayden answered. "Why?"

"I want to go shopping." Finn said, then clarified, "For the ring."

"Now?" Cayden asked.

"Yeah, and afterwards we can meet Rachel and Kurt for Breadstix?" Finn suggested.

"Wait, you aren't doing it tonight, are you?" Cayden asked, stopping at his locker.

"No." Finn said, watching Cayden shove books into his bag. "I'm still trying to decide how to do it."

"Okay." Cayden said, pulling his backpack from his locker and slammed the door shut. He swung it onto his shoulder and said, "Let's go."

____

"These things are expensive." Cayden commented with a grimace as he crouched next to a display case.

"Yeah." Finn said. "Rachel said you should spend at least two week's salary on one of these, or maybe it was two month's. I don't remember."

"Two months." Cayden said, standing up. Noticing the curious look from his cousin, "I get bored sometimes and read magazines, Kurt has so many of those things."

"Yeah, he does." Finn said, a goofy grin spreading across his face. "Hey, what do you think of this one?"

Cayden looked at the one Finn was pointing to, and said, "That one's nice, and not too overpriced. I think she'll like it."

"Yeah." Finn said, and then looked at the sales clerk behind the counter. "Can I get this one?"


	4. Chapter 4

Mr. Shue finally settled on an idea for the proposal, which had come from Sam. The whole glee club spent hours getting down a routine of synchronized swimming, using the song We Found Love by Rhianna. Cayden found himself having more fun than he had expected with the idea, which had thankfully gone off without a hitch, and Ms. Pillsbury accepted the proposal.

It was two days later, on Friday, when Finn decided to propose to Rachel. Cayden was waiting for him to get back from their date.

"How'd it go?" Cayden asked.

"She said she needed to think about it," Finn replied.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I mean, she might still say yes, right?" Finn asked.

"Right," Cayden said.

"Maybe I did it too soon," Finn said. "Or too late, or maybe it-"

"Finn," Cayden cut off his cousin mid-ramble, grabbing his shoulders. "Seriously, you need to chill. Even if she does say no, it doesn't mean that you guys will be over or anything. It's a big leap, she just wants to be sure she's ready for it."

"You're right," Finn said.

"Great, now that we've come to that consensus, we need to take the TV before Kurt takes it for America's Got Talent or some shit like that."

____

As it was with all weekends, Cayden felt it passed too quickly and soon he was back in a classroom, listening to his teachers drone on. He had heard from Blaine, who he sat next to in Chemistry, that this week's theme for glee club was Michael. A few of the members came up with the idea, and had already cleared it with Mr. Schue.

When he found Finn later that day, Finn seemed bummed.

"Did she say no?" he immediately asked, assuming the worst.

"She's taking a few more days," Finn answered. "I didn't want her to say no because I rushed her decision."

Cayden nodded. "If she does say no, she's the one missing out."

____

"Hey, I've gotta go, I need to go talk to someone," Sebastian said as he took his coffee from the counter. "I'll talk to you later."

"Oh, okay," the voice on the other end replied. "Be safe."

"Mm-hmm," Sebastian replied, a smirk forming on his face as he stared at the group of teens gathered at a table nearby. While there were only two he could match names to faces for, he knew who they were. They were the New Directions, the glee club at the local high school, where he was so glad he didn't attend. Instead, he went to the private school, Dalton, in Westerville.

They seemed to be having a pretty heated conversation, and Sebastian found himself wanting to find out what about, maybe stir up some trouble of his own. The two faces he did know were Kurt and Blaine, a couple who he was keen on messing with. He flirted with Blaine and insulted Kurt to rile the latter up, and cause the former to get flustered.

A few years ago it wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining.

"Bye, bear."

"Bye," he responded, having forgotten for a split second he was still on the phone. He ended the call and shoved the phone into his pocket, taking the steps towards the table. His smirk grew as he stepped closer, close enough that he could hear their words.

"I'd throw this mocha in your face but it's not nearly scalding enough."

A threat, how cute.

"Okay, but just, since you guys are so jazzed about him, I think it's a good idea for regionals."

Perfect.

"That might not be the best idea," Sebastian drawled, stopping where he currently stood. "Hey, Blaine. Hello, everyone else."

"Does he live here or something?" Kurt asked. "Seriously, you are always here."

Sebastian was about to tell him he also was constantly there, but another kid beat him to speaking.

"Why don't you think that's a good idea?"

"Because," Sebastian replied. "We're doing MJ for regionals. You see, Warblers drew first position, so as soon as I heard what you plan was, I changed our set list accordingly."

"I'm sorry, h-how did you hear?"

Sebastian turned his attention to the brunette girl who'd been speaking when he first approached. "Blaine told me this morning," he said. "I just called for a tip on how to get red wine out of my blazer piping, and he would not stop going on about it."

"I may have mentioned it," Blaine muttered.

"How often do you two talk?" Kurt asked.

"Oh, my God, hey, Kurt," Sebastian grinned. "I didn't recognize you. You are wearing boy clothes for once."

"Alright, twink," the other girl in the group stood up. She was Latina and wearing a cheerleader uniform that was way too short. "I think it's time that I show you a little Lima Heights hospitality."

"Unless you want to join your relatives in prison, that's probably not the best idea," Sebastian said. They were making all of this so easy. "You see, my dad is sort of what you'd call a state's attorney. But if you had a pinata you wanted delivered, I bet he could make sure that got to them. Alright, so here's what you guys should know. I'm captain of the Warblers now, and I'm tired of playing nice." He gave them a smile with a sarcastic wave. "Toodles."

He could feel the glares on his back, but couldn't care less. Mission accomplished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This particular one was fun to write :)


	5. Chapter 5

Cayden paused the movie he was watching when he heard the door slam. He looked, watching Kurt enter the room, his footsteps filled with anger.

"I hate Sebastian," he said before Cayden could even ask. "With a burning passion. He's stealing our MJ idea."

"How does he even know about it?" Cayden asked, watching Kurt throw himself into the opposite end of the couch.

"Blaine told him," Kurt grumbled.

"What?" Cayden asked. "Why?"

"Got a little overzealous about, I guess," Kurt said. "I guess it's not his fault that Sebastian's the biggest asshole on the planet. But he should have at least known better. I didn't even know they talked. Well, no, I had suspicions, but I didn't know to what extent that they talked. Sebastian been trying to steal Blaine since he met him, and Sebastian's got so much that I don't, and- ugh."

"Don't let him get to your head," Cayden said. "It's exactly what he wants, it's what all guys like that want."

"Easier said than done," Kurt grumbled. "I hate to say this, but he's a lot better looking than I am, and a lot more sexy, and I'm worried Blaine's going to decide he's bored of me."

"Blaine transferred schools for you," Cayden said. "That's not something people just do. If he was shallow enough to fall for this guy, he would've done it already."

"You haven't seen Sebastian though," Kurt sighed. "He flirts with Blaine, and Blaine just lets him. I wish he would tell him to stop."

"Did you talk to Blaine about how you're feeling?" Cayden asked.

"I don't want to seem possessive," Kurt said. "I mean, he's allowed to have friends, whether I like them or not, but Sebastian's just a dick."

"He won't know how you feel until you tell him," Cayden shrugged. 

"Do either of you guys have a spare charger I can borrow?" Finn appeared from the kitchen. "I left mine in my locker at school."

"Yeah," Cayden replied, getting to his feet. "Talk to him," he told Kurt, then went to his room to grab a charger for Finn. He opened his desk drawer, pulling things out to find it. Finn followed him into his room, glancing around the room at all the posters littering the walls. He watched Cayden look through the drawer, noticing a small picture on the piles of things he'd removed from it. He picked it up, and asked,

"Who's this?"

Cayden looked at the photo Finn was holding up. It was one Iris had taken; Cayden had his hand balled into a fist except for his pointer and pinky fingers, and his tongue stuck out, and Barry was on his back, his tongue also out, after they had allowed Iris to test out some eyeliner on them. They looked ridiculous. "An old friend from Central City," he answered. 

"He looks kind of familiar," Finn answered, looking at it again. Cayden shrugged. 

"I don't think you ever met him," he said, looking back down at the drawer. He caught sight of the cord and grabbed it. "Here."

"Thanks, man," Finn said, handing the picture back to Cayden. 

Cayden looked at it for a second more, before putting it back in the drawers, burying it with the rest of the things from the drawer before he could think about it anymore.


	6. Chapter 6

"There has to be some kind of show choir competition committee we can complain to," Tina said.

"I know it sucks, guys, but it's not the end of the world," Blaine said. "Heck, you had your set stolen the day of the competition at Sectionals and you pulled that one off, right?"

"They can have our Journey and our Dreamgirls, but pilfering my Michael?" Artie said. "Nuh-uh, that's another level, not okay."

"I'm not exactly comfortable having this conversation with Blaine in the room," Puck replied. "Clearly, once a Warbler, always a Warbler."

"Uh, wh-what?" Blaine asked.

"Dude, you told them what we were gonna do," Puck said. "You like a modern day Eggs Benedict. He's on notice as far as I'm concerned."

"We should all be on notice," Finn said. "I mean, next to Vocal Adrenaline, the Warblers are the best glee club in the state. And for a lot of us, this is our last shot at a championship, so we should stop complaining about the Warblers and figure out how to beat them."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Finn," Mr. Shue said, walking into the club room. "I'm less worried about our setlist right now and interested more in getting us in the right mindset to crush those guys. Which is why our lesson for the week is..." Mr. Shue wrote WWMJD on the white board. "What would Michael Jackson do?"

"He'd fight back," Finn answered. "He'd say Regionals is ours, MJ is ours, and if they want it, they can pry it from our sequin-gloved hand."

"Mmhmm, straight up," Artie said. "In 1983, MTV said they wouldn't air his Billie Jean video. What'd he do? He fought back. They aired it, and the Thriller album sold an additional ten million copies."

"That's right," Mr. Shue said.

"I know what Michael would do," Blaine said. "I think he would take it to the streets."

-_-_-

Sebastian walked at the front of the Warblers, leading them to where they were supposed to meet Blaine. With Blaine stood Santana, both of them with their hoods over their heads. He stopped a few feet in front of the two.

"Well, we're here," Sebastian stated.

"We've got something to settle," Blaine replied. "Both of us want to use MJ, but only one of us can."

"We're having a Jackson-off, Nick at Nite," Santana said. "Winner gets the King of Pop for Regionals."

"What," Sebastian grinned. "Us against...the two of you. You really think you're that bad? Is that what they teach you at that little public school of yours?"

"It's time to see who's bad," Blaine said. Santana snapped her fingers, and the rest of their glee club came up behind them.

Your butt is mine  
Gonna tell you right  
Just show your face  
In broad daylight  
I'm telling you  
Gonna go after you  
Gonna hurt your mind  
Don't shoot to kill  
Come on  
Come on  
Lay it on me  
All rightYour lyin' eyes  
Gonna tell you right  
So listen up  
Don't make a fight  
Your talk is cheap  
You're not a man  
You're throwin' stones  
To hide your handsWell they say the sky's the limit  
And to me that's really true  
But my friend you have seen nothin'  
Just wait 'till I get throughBecause I'm bad, I'm bad - come on  
(Bad bad - really, really bad)  
You know I'm bad, I'm bad - you know it  
(Bad bad - really, really bad)  
You know I'm bad, I'm bad - come on, you know  
(Bad bad - really, really bad)  
And the whole world has to  
Answer right now  
Just to tell you once again  
Who's bad

Across the many singing teens, Sebastian's eyes landed on one, and all coherent thoughts left his mind. Any of Blaine, of Kurt, of Michael Jackson. For a microsecond, Cayden was all he could see.

It couldn't really be him, could it? The odds had to be super slim.

But if it was...

He needed a closer look. Luckily, the choreography they had going allowed him to work his way over without looking suspicious.

As Sebastian neared the other, Cayden looked at him, their eyes locking. He suddenly didn't care about the choreography, and grabbed Cayden's arm to drag him around a corner and out of the sight of their respective glee clubs.

"What are you doing here?" Sebastian asked, the sentence coming out more aggressive than intended.

"Me?" Cayden asked. "What are you doing here? Why are you going to a school in Ohio?"

"The bullying," Sebastian shrugged. "It got so bad Joe sent me here."

"How bad did it get?" Cayden asked.

"I ended up in the hospital," Sebastian answered. "Joe was trying to talk me into leaving for a while before that, but it was the last straw and he didn't give me a choice."

"Holy shit," Cayden said. "Did they get in trouble?"

Sebastian shook his head. "Wasn't enough 'proof' that they did it," he said, making finger quotes.

"That's bullshit," Cayden said incredulously.

"You think I don't know that?" Sebastian hissed. Cayden looked taken aback and Sebastian sighed. "I'm sorry, it's- I've been...stressed. I want to be back home."

Cayden nodded. Back when Barry's mom had died, he'd sworn up and down that his dad didn't kill her, and that he wouldn't leave Central City until he proved it.

Cayden opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Blaine cried out in pain around the corner. Sebastian and Cayden both stepped out from their hiding spot to see what had happened. Blaine was on the cement ground, his hands over his eyes as he yelled in pain. There was red splashed across his face, and there was no doubt it was a slushy.

The warblers began to retreat, one of them grabbing Sebastian by his shirt as they passed.


	7. Chapter 7

"What did the doctor say?" Cayden asked Kurt later that night.

"Blaine's cornea is deeply scratched," Kurt answered. "He's going to need surgery."

"How did a slushie do that much damage?" Cayden asked.

"Maybe he put something in it," Finn said. "Slushies hurt if they get in your eyes, but they don't do that kind of damage."

"You're saying Sebastian wanted to hurt Blaine?" Kurt asked.

"Sebastian's the one who threw the slushie?" Cayden asked. "I thought he liked Blaine."

"He's not the one who threw it, but I'm almost entirely sure he was behind it," Kurt said. "It's the kind of thing that he would pull."

"If he didn't throw it, then he won't get in trouble," Cayden said.

"I know," Kurt said. "Unless he admits to it, which he'll never do willingly."

"Did you see who threw it?" Cayden asked. "Maybe you could at least get him in trouble, he had to have been in on it."

"I didn't recognize him," Kurt replied. "He must be a new Warbler. I'll think of another way to get back at Sebastian. Somehow."

-_-_-

"Sebastian Smythe, report to the headmaster's office."

Many pairs of eyes turned to Sebastian as he stood up and grabbed his book bag from the floor. 

"What'd you do this time?" August, who was both his dormmate and lab partner, asked him. Sebastian shrugged. 

"I don't know," he replied, sling the bag's strap onto his shoulders. "I'll see you later."

He kept his pace fast as he walked, arriving at the office in just under two minutes. The door was open, and as soon as he walked in, Dean Carmichael looked up. He had been in the office a handful of times for various reasons, enough times that he was familiar with the environment.

"Mr. Smythe," Dean Carmichael said. "Take a seat."

"What's going on?" Sebastian asked.

"Earlier today, the principal of McKinley High School in Lima, and the head of their Glee club came in to talk to me about an incident that occurred last night."

"You mean the meeting they called us to?" Sebastian asked.

"Precisely. Apparently, one of your Warblers threw a slushie at one of their members, and it cause some severe damage to his eye. Did you know about this?"

"Slushies cannot cause that kind of damage, sir," Sebastian said. "If one makes contact with your eyes, it's sting because it's just something in your eye in general, but they don't cause 'severe damage'. They get them in the face all the time at their school. Whether or not one was actually thrown, it wouldn't cause severe eye damage."

"Do you know why they would make these accusations then?" 

Sebastian shook his head. "No. Unless they're attempting to get us disqualified or something. I've met a few of them, they're pretty competitive."

Dean Carmichael nodded. "I didn't think it sounded like something you or any of our Warblers would pull. Unless you have anything else you'd like to add, you're dismissed."

Sebastian nodded and stood up. He left the office and began to head towards the dorms, a small smirk on his face.

Nice try, he thought.

-_-_-

"What did the dean want?" August asked when he found Sebastian in the dorm after class. Sebastian didn't glance up from his phone when he replied.

"Those McKinley kids complained to their teacher, who came to talk to Carmichael about the slushie thing. He wanted to get my end of the story."

"What'd you tell him?"

"That a slushie couldn't cause the damage they were claiming it could," Sebastian shrugged.

"Yeah, but you put rock salt in the slushie."

"The dean doesn't need to know that," Sebastian replied. "I'm going to get some coffee, you want to come with?"

"Sounds like a suicide mission at the moment," August paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what I'm doing atm, so it might be a hot minute lol. Feedback is welcome :)


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